1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure is generally directed to foldable strollers, and more particularly to a child seat tray for such a stroller that automatically folds and deploys with folding and unfolding of the stroller.
2. Description of Related Art
Strollers that fold up from an in-use configuration to a smaller, more compact folded configuration are well known. It is desirable for foldable strollers to have a small overall folded size when folded. Many stroller models also have a tray (or an arm bar) that is positioned across the child seat for use and access by a child occupant of the seat during use. In order to deliver a small fold size, the child's tray must not impede folding of the stroller, increase the size of the folded stroller, or increase the overall box boundaries required to ship a stroller.
On many strollers, the tray is designed to be removable prior to folding. This can cause difficulty for the consumer, requiring separate, additional action on their part to remove and reinstall the tray and to stow and relocate the tray. The tray also requires additional storage space for the tray beyond that for the folded stroller. In some instances, the tray is capable of remaining on the stroller when folded. However, the tray then interferes with the folding frame structure and can often impact the size and shape of the folded stroller.
There are some strollers, such as the Graco Quattro and Graco Stylus models, that include relatively complex and exposed linkages, i.e., separate tubes and joints, to automatically articulate the child's tray during folding. These linkages add weight, cost, part complexity, components, and manufacturing complexity to the product. A few strollers are known that offer a more minimalistic approach to folding the child's tray with the stroller. Examples of such products include the Nuna Pepp stroller (see http://www.nuna.eu/pepp), the Babies R' Us by Baby Trend Ride Stroller—BabyTech (see http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11024097), and the Baby Trend Freestyle stroller (see http://www.babytrend.com/travel_systems_stroller/TS39963.html).
The Nuna Pepp stroller utilizes a cable under tension to keep the tray erect or deployed when the stroller is in the in-use configuration. When the Nuna Pepp stroller is folded, the cable gives slack. This allows the tray to automatically fall under its own weight during folding.
The BabyTech stroller utilizes hard stops found in the fold latch to move the tray during folding. When the stroller is folded, the tray is released from the hard stops and is allowed to go ‘limp’ and fall under its own weight. When the stroller is unfolded to the in-use configuration, the tray stays limp. The caregiver must then manually lift the child's tray back into the in-use position. The Freestyle stroller uses a mechanism whereby child's tray automatically falls limp when the stroller is folded. The tray is automatically erected or deployed when the stroller is set up. However, when the tray is unfolding from the folded position to the deployed position, the tray exposes an opening that closes up. These openings can create safety hazards for the caregiver and children nearby.